Cooper will not renew his CBS contract, bringing his nearly 20-year tenure as a ’60 Minutes’ correspondent to an end, PEOPLE confirms

Anderson Cooper.Credit : 60 Minutes/CBS

Anderson Cooper is stepping away from 60 Minutes after nearly two decades with the long-running CBS program.

PEOPLE has confirmed that Cooper, 57, will not renew his contract with CBS, bringing his tenure as a correspondent to a close.

In a statement to PEOPLE, the CNN anchor said the decision ultimately came down to family.

“Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors of my career. I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business,” he said.

“For nearly twenty years, I’ve been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me.”

Cooper, 57, is dad to two sons — Wyatt, 4, and Sebastian, 3 — whom he shares with his ex Benjamin Maisani. The journalist has spoken openly about the “very natural” co-parenting process with Maisani, a nightclub owner.

“I work nights, and so he’s there at night,” Anderson told PEOPLE. “And we both wake up right before they wake up, get them their milk and spend the first couple of hours of the day just us with them. And Benjamin speaks French to them. I have no idea what they’re saying. I think they’re plotting against me.”

Anderson Cooper at the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute on December 11, 2022.Mike Coppola/Getty

Cooper joined 60 Minutes in 2007 while continuing to anchor CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360°, becoming one of the few journalists to hold major roles on both cable and network television.

“For more than two decades, Anderson Cooper has taken 60 Minutes viewers on journeys to faraway places, told us unforgettable stories, reported consequential investigations and interviewed many prominent figures,” CBS News shared in a statement. “We’re grateful to him for dedicating so much of his life to this broadcast, and understand the importance of spending more time with family. 60 Minutes will be here if he ever wants to return.”

Though he is leaving 60 Minutes, Cooper remains firmly at CNN.

He renewed his contract with CNN in December 2025 and continues to anchor Anderson Cooper 360° as well as co-host CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve special alongside Andy Cohen.

Anderson Cooper Makes Major Career Move at CNN amid Continued Shakeups in Nightly News

His departure comes amid a period of upheaval at CBS News.

The network has faced a series of high-profile exits and leadership changes in recent months, fueling broader questions about the direction of its news division.

Bari Weiss was appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News in October after Paramount Skydance acquired her news and opinion site, The Free Press, earlier this year. She remains editor of The Free Press while also overseeing CBS News.

In December, Weiss pulled a 60 Minutes segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” a segment focused on Venezuelan men who were deported by the Trump administration to a notorious El Salvador prison, hours before airing.

A veteran correspondent behind the piece said she learned the day before that Weiss had “spiked our story,” calling the decision “not an editorial decision” but “a political one.” A CBS News spokesperson wrote in an updated release that the story needed additional reporting. It later aired on Jan. 18.

On April 22, 2025, longtime 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens announced that he would be stepping away from the legacy CBS newsmagazine. The news of his departure came amid Paramount’s legal battle with President Donald Trump, who sued the show over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Paramount later paid $16 million to settle the lawsuit without an admission of wrongdoing.

Most recently, Dr. Peter Attia’s next appearance on 60 Minutes was pulled after his past correspondence with billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein gained national attention.